Getting injured is one of running's cruellest realities. One moment you're building fitness, nailing sessions, feeling strong—and the next you're sitting on the sofa with an ice pack, watching your training plan gather dust.

Most runners obsess over what they can't do when they're injured. Understandably so. But what gets far less attention—and arguably matters just as much—is what you eat during recovery. The right nutritional approach can meaningfully influence how quickly you heal, how much muscle you retain, and how smoothly you return to full training.

The Calorie Trap

The first instinct most injured runners have is to slash their food intake. You're not running, so you don't need as many calories—right? Not quite.

While your training energy expenditure drops, healing is metabolically expensive. Depending on the severity of the injury, your resting energy expenditure can increase by 15–20%, and if you're getting around on crutches, that alone costs two to three times the energy of normal walking ^[1]. When you add in the energy demands of tissue repair, immune function, and rehabilitation exercises, the gap between your pre-injury and post-injury energy needs may be smaller than you think.

Aggressive calorie restriction during injury is counterproductive. A significant energy deficit slows wound healing, accelerates muscle loss, and impairs the very processes your body needs to recover ^[2]. The goal is energy balance—enough fuel to support healing without significant fat gain. A modest reduction from your usual training intake is sensible, but cutting dramatically is a mistake that will extend your time on the sidelines.

Protein: Your Most Important Nutrient Right Now

If there's one macronutrient to prioritise during injury recovery, it's protein. And you probably need more of it than you're getting.

Muscle loss during immobilisation is rapid and significant. Research shows that measurable muscle atrophy can begin within just 36 hours of inactivity, with substantial losses occurring within the first two weeks ^[3]. This happens because of two things: a drop in baseline muscle protein synthesis and the development of "anabolic resistance"—your muscles become less responsive to the protein you eat ^[1].

To counteract this, injured athletes should aim for 1.6–2.5 g of protein per kilogram of body weight daily—higher than many runners typically consume ^[2]. For a 70 kg runner, that's 112–175 g of protein per day. Just as important is distribution: spreading protein evenly across 4–5 meals throughout the day, with 20–40 g per meal, maximises muscle protein synthesis and helps combat that anabolic resistance ^[4].

Practical tips for hitting your protein targets during injury:

• Start the day with protein—eggs, Greek yoghurt, or a protein-rich smoothie rather than just toast and cereal.
• Include protein at every meal and snack—don't let any eating occasion pass without it.
• Consider a pre-sleep protein source—research suggests a protein-rich snack before bed may help preserve muscle mass during periods of reduced activity ^[4].
• Don't skip post-rehab nutrition—treat your physiotherapy sessions like training sessions. Have a protein-rich meal or snack within an hour afterwards.

Managing Inflammation: It's Complicated

Inflammation gets a bad reputation among runners, but the reality is more nuanced than "inflammation = bad." In the acute phase of injury—the first few days—inflammation is essential. It's your body's repair response, sending immune cells and growth factors to the damaged area to begin the healing process. Aggressively suppressing this early inflammation can actually impair recovery.

The problem arises when inflammation becomes chronic—persisting beyond the initial repair phase and becoming a barrier to healing rather than a driver of it. This is where nutritional support becomes genuinely valuable.

Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, has emerged as one of the most well-researched natural anti-inflammatory agents. Systematic reviews have found that curcumin supplementation can reduce markers of muscle damage, lower levels of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, and alleviate delayed-onset muscle soreness ^[5]. A meta-analysis examining curcumin's effects on skeletal muscle damage found significant improvements in creatine kinase levels, muscle soreness, and range of motion, with the most pronounced benefits occurring from sustained supplementation rather than single doses ^[6].

Crucially, curcumin appears to modulate rather than completely suppress the inflammatory response—working with your body's healing processes rather than shutting them down, unlike some conventional anti-inflammatory drugs which may impair tissue healing ^[7]. RunStrong includes 500mg of Curcumin C3 Complex® with BioPerine® to enhance absorption by up to 2000%—supporting your body's ability to manage the inflammatory balance during recovery.

Bone Health and Vitamin D

If your injury involves bone—a stress fracture, stress reaction, or any bone-related issue—vitamin D status becomes critically important. But even for soft tissue injuries, adequate vitamin D supports the broader recovery process through its roles in muscle function, immune health, and calcium metabolism.

Research has consistently linked vitamin D deficiency with increased stress fracture risk in athletes. One study found that supplementing deficient athletes with vitamin D3 reduced stress fracture rates from 7.5% to 1.7%—a statistically significant drop ^[8]. Vitamin D deficiency also impairs bone remodelling and prolongs healing time ^[9], which is the last thing an injured runner needs.

The challenge for UK runners is well-documented: between October and March, the sun sits too low for your skin to produce meaningful vitamin D, regardless of time spent outside. Studies suggest that many athletes are deficient even during summer months, with the problem considerably worse in winter ^[10]. If you're recovering from a bone injury during the darker months, supplementation isn't optional—it's essential.

RunStrong provides 10 mcg (400 IU) of vegan Vitamin D3 per serving—aligned with Public Health England's recommendation for daily supplementation during autumn and winter. For runners recovering from bone injuries, it's worth discussing higher-dose supplementation with a healthcare professional, particularly if blood tests reveal deficiency.

Iron: The Overlooked Recovery Nutrient

Iron rarely features in conversations about injury recovery, but it deserves attention—particularly for runners. Iron is essential for oxygen transport via haemoglobin, and adequate oxygen delivery to injured tissues is a fundamental requirement for healing. Iron also supports immune function, and your immune system is working overtime during the repair process.

Runners are already at elevated risk of iron depletion through foot-strike haemolysis, sweat losses, and gastrointestinal bleeding during intense training ^[11]. If you entered your injury period with borderline iron status—and many runners do without realising it—you may be compromising your recovery without knowing why.

Supplementing with iron during recovery makes sense, but form matters. Many iron supplements cause gastrointestinal side effects—nausea, constipation, stomach pain—which is the last thing you need when you're already dealing with the frustrations of injury. Iron Bisglycinate offers approximately 90% bioavailability with significantly fewer GI side effects than common forms like ferrous sulphate ^[11]. RunStrong includes 5mg of Iron Bisglycinate for precisely this reason—gentle support without the stomach trouble.

A Recovery Nutrition Timeline

Your nutritional priorities should shift as your injury progresses through different phases:

Phase 1: Acute injury (days 1–7)

• Focus on energy balance—don't slash calories
• Prioritise protein intake (1.6–2.5 g/kg/day)
• Allow the natural inflammatory response to do its job
• Stay well-hydrated—dehydration impairs healing
• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for vitamin C and antioxidants

Phase 2: Repair and early rehabilitation (weeks 2–6)

• Maintain high protein intake, distributed evenly across meals
• Support inflammation management with curcumin and omega-3 rich foods (oily fish, walnuts, flaxseed)
• Ensure adequate vitamin D and calcium for bone and tissue repair
• Monitor iron status if you were a high-mileage runner pre-injury
• Treat physiotherapy sessions as training—fuel them accordingly

Phase 3: Return to running (weeks 6+)

• Gradually increase energy intake as training volume builds
• Continue prioritising protein to support muscle rebuilding
• Maintain anti-inflammatory nutritional support—you're asking tissues to handle increasing load
• Pay attention to recovery nutrition after each session as your body readapts to the demands of running

What to Avoid

Just as some nutritional choices support recovery, others can actively hinder it:

• Excessive alcohol—impairs muscle protein synthesis, disrupts sleep quality, and interferes with wound healing. The occasional drink won't derail recovery, but regular consumption will slow it.
• Aggressive calorie restriction—bears repeating. Your body cannot heal what it doesn't have the energy to repair.
• Reliance on processed, nutrient-poor foods—when you're eating fewer calories overall, the nutrient density of what you eat matters more than ever. Prioritise whole foods.
• Over-supplementation with NSAIDs—while occasional use for pain management is fine, chronic NSAID use may impair tissue healing and carries gastrointestinal risks ^[12].

The Mental Side

No article about injury recovery would be complete without acknowledging the psychological toll. Loss of identity, routine, fitness, and social connection can hit hard. Nutrition plays a role here too—inadequate energy intake can worsen mood, increase irritability, and impair sleep. Eating well during injury isn't just about physical healing; it's about keeping your mental health on an even keel.

If you find yourself restricting food as a way to maintain control when running is taken away from you, that's worth paying attention to. Injury is stressful enough without adding nutritional deprivation to the mix.

Final Take-Home Points

• 🍽️ Don't slash calories—healing is metabolically expensive. Aim for energy balance, not restriction.
• 💪 Prioritise protein—1.6–2.5 g/kg/day, spread across 4–5 meals, to combat muscle loss and support tissue repair.
• 🔥 Manage inflammation wisely—allow acute inflammation to do its job, then support recovery with curcumin. RunStrong includes 500mg Curcumin C3 Complex® with BioPerine®.
• 🦴 Support bone health—vitamin D is essential, especially for bone injuries and during UK winters. RunStrong provides 10 mcg (400 IU) vegan D3 per serving.
• 🩸 Don't forget iron—oxygen delivery to healing tissues depends on it. RunStrong's Iron Bisglycinate is gentle on the gut.
• 🧠 Look after your mind—eating well supports mental health during the frustrating weeks of recovery.

References

1. Tipton KD. (2015). Nutritional Support for Exercise-Induced Injuries. Sports Medicine, 45(Suppl 1), S93–S104. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0398-4
2. Wall BT, Morton JP, van Loon LJ. (2015). Strategies to maintain skeletal muscle mass in the injured athlete: nutritional considerations and exercise mimetics. European Journal of Sport Science, 15(1), 53–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2014.936326
3. Kilroe SP et al. (2020). Short-term muscle disuse induces a rapid and sustained decline in daily myofibrillar protein synthesis rates. American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism, 318(2), E117–E130. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpendo.00360.2019
4. Papadopoulou SK. (2020). Rehabilitation Nutrition for Injury Recovery of Athletes: The Role of Macronutrient Intake. Nutrients, 12(8), 2449. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082449
5. Fernández-Lázaro D et al. (2020). Modulation of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage, Inflammation, and Oxidative Markers by Curcumin Supplementation in a Physically Active Population: A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 12(2), 501. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12020501
6. Pan Y et al. (2024). Meta-analysis of the effect of curcumin supplementation on skeletal muscle damage status. PLOS ONE, 19(7), e0299135. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0299135
7. Hewlings SJ, Kalman DS. (2017). Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health. Foods, 6(10), 92. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods6100092
8. Millward D et al. (2020). Vitamin D3 Supplementation and Stress Fractures in High-Risk Collegiate Athletes—A Pilot Study. Orthopedic Research and Reviews, 12, 9–17. https://doi.org/10.2147/ORR.S233075
9. Knechtle B et al. (2021). Vitamin D and Stress Fractures in Sport: Preventive and Therapeutic Measures—A Narrative Review. Medicina, 57(3), 223. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57030223
10. Owens DJ et al. (2018). Vitamin D and the Athlete: Current Perspectives and New Challenges. Sports Medicine, 48(Suppl 1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-017-0841-9
11. Sim M et al. (2019). Iron considerations for the athlete: a narrative review. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 119(7), 1463–1478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-019-04157-y
12. Schoenfeld BJ. (2012). The use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for exercise-induced muscle damage. Sports Medicine, 42(12), 1017–1028. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03262309